One Chance
by thedoctorandriver
Summary: This is what should have happened in the Library. When the Doctor decides to bend the all the rules - but if they have already been broken, are they even rules at all? If you ever feel depressed about the whole backwards timestreams thing just read this - the happy ending the Doctor and River deserve.


_**DISCLAIMER: You all know I don't own it. I'm using the characters for non-profit and all that stuff. Deal with it.**_

_**Warning: SPOILERS FOR FOREST OF THE DEAD AND SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY! Also some lines from the BIG BANG, 5x13 but I wouldn't really count that as spoilers.**_

_**Just a really short spin on what would happen if the Doctor, after seeing River off to the Library, where she will die, decides to bend all the rules and finds a way to save her. Because they deserve to have a happy ending. (What I wish would happen, but as they say, keep on dreaming…) :P**_

"Right, let's be off then. What about… Barcelona? Great planet, Barcelona. Got dogs with no noses, imagine that! You've got the dogs, and then-" the Doctor trailed of when he realised no one was listening. He was alone in the TARDIS, and his wife was dead. Once more, holding the weight of the world on his shoulders threatened to crush the man standing there. He had lost so much, more than he had ever gained. What was the point of saving all those worlds, and people, if he couldn't save the person he loved the most? What was the point of even living?

With this thought the Doctor steeled his shoulders. To hell with all those rules about time. It was time to break them. Time to go to the Library, and find a way to do what he should have done all those years ago. He had to save River.

"If you just rewind the core data processor and give it the memory space beforehand, then align the fuses of the chair…" the Doctor muttered. There had to be a way. Maybe if you- Yes! That was it! The Doctor punched his fist into the air and ran around the TARDIS trying to find that thing. The impossible, amazing, forgotten thing.

"Got to be here somewhere…" Rummaging through the old boxes, the Doctor saw it glinting right at the bottom. A mini TARDIS. Just like the one he had given his duplicate and Rose. Grow-your-own. But that wasn't the point. A TARDIS had almost infinite memory space. Definitely enough for 4022 humans to be downloaded flawlessly.

His face showing hope for the first time in the ten years since he had seen River for the last time, the Doctor danced round the console, even using the blue boringers. He flung open the doors to find himself in the Library, before he and River had got there. Avoiding the shadows, which was quite easy since it was midday, the Doctor sprinted to the main data core, and hooked up the TARDIS sapling to the processor.

"Sorry, old friend," the Doctor whispered to the small TARDIS that would probably be destroyed by the power that would run through it.

"So, now it's got enough memory, what will happen when River sits on the chair? There'll have to be some sort of trigger that makes sure it doesn't use her memory space…" the Doctor stared at the wretched chair that had taken River's life.

"Ha!" he cried, and sonicked the back panels until the screws came loose. He fiddled with the wiring until he was satisfied, then resealed the metal.

"That should do it, but- Why would I give her my screwdriver. Maybe it could-" the Doctor's eyes rested on the teleport beam next to him. "Exactly!" he said, rolling out the syllables. "The screwdriver I plugged in can activate a teleport beam. Past me thinks its uploaded her consciousness to the computer core, but actually its sent her to the TARDIS."

Opening the TARDIS doors with a click of his fingers, the Doctor set the coordinates to Stormcage, just before River left to go to the Library. He stepped out, and ran over to River, who was packing her suitcase excitedly. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Sweetie! Maybe now isn't the best time. I'm about to leave-"

The Doctor ignored her, and pressed a furious kiss to her lips, confused, she welcomed it.

"River," the Doctor turned River's face to meet his gently. "I've got something for you. And, by Rassilon, you're going to need it." The Doctor pressed his specially modified teleport sonic screwdriver into her hand.

"Why, thank you, sweetie," River gave him that beautiful smile of hers. "But why-"

The Doctor shushed her by kissing her one last time, calm, loving kiss. Then he vanished back into the TARDIS, hoping with all his life that his plan had worked. If it had, River would be transported right here at exactly 3:07, give or take a few minutes.

The Doctor glanced at his watch. 3:03.

3:04. The Doctor glanced anxiously around.

3:05. Each second seemed to last a day. The time was dragging on painfully, each tick of the watch burning itself into the Doctor's mind.

3:06. Just one more minute to go. But what if it didn't work? The Doctor shook his head. It would work. It had to.

3:07. Still nothing. Tears began to run down the Doctor's face. This was what happened when you messed with time.

3:08. There was a flash of blue light and River appeared, slumping down onto the floor. She was in her white spacesuit. The Doctor thanked the universe for letting him have this one little perfection. He rushed over and caught River in his arms. One look told her she was dying. His plan hadn't worked perfectly.

Gathering her in his arms, he brought her to the medical bay faster than ever before. He scooped out a bubble of nanogenes, knowing they were risky. Blowing them at River softly, he prayed and prayed that they would work quickly enough.

River's body was enveloped in a golden hue, sparkling, shimmering light caressing her curls. This was how the Doctor saw her in his head. Beautiful and shining. His light to guide him through the darkness of his life.

River sat up with a gasping breath and the Doctor cried tears of happiness.

"Hi honey, I'm home," the Doctor said, those teasing words filled with implications.

When they had broken apart from their kiss, River smiled. "And what sort of a time do you call this?" she said softly.

_**And they finally get what should have happened all along, without all that heartbreaking time lines in the wrong order stuff. Please review! I know its short but please review! Reviews make me happy XD**_


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